Kidnapped
by Mrs.Twilight
Summary: On her 18th Birthday, Bella Swan is kidnapped by an extremely good-looking man who claims he loves her. Will she get away from this man or will she fall in love with him?
1. Chapter 1

A/n: Hey guys this is my first story and I'm hesitant about publishing so please be nice. I also need you guys to tell me if I should continue it so yea.

Kidnapped

Isabella Swan sighed as she made her way to her best friend, Alice's, apartment.

It was her 18th birthday and of course the ever exuberant Alice had insisted on throwing her an extravagant birthday party.

Right on time, Bella walked into Alice's apartment and as expected about 100 people yelled out "SURPRISE". Alice came bounding forward.

"Happy birthday Bella," Alice exclaimed, hugging her.

"Thanks Alice," She replied.

"Come on," Alice said as she pulled Bella towards their close friends Rosalie and Emmett.

"Hey Bells! Happy birthday!" yelled Emmett, grinning.

"Thanks Em," Bella said, embarrassed.

"Here open your presents," Alice said, excitedly.

She handed Bella a square-shaped box wrapped in pink, which was from her and an envelope, which was from Emmett and Rosalie as they were going out. The box was a digital camera and the envelope had tickets to Florida, which was where Bella's mother lived.

"Oh my god. This is too much you guys," Bella said as she hugged them all.

The party was exceptionally planned and was really cool. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, but Bella, not being a party type of person, grew tired after a few hours.

After much begging and pleading, Alice relented and allowed Bella to leave.

"Call me as soon as you get home. Love you," she said and with a quick kiss on the cheek she went off with her boyfriend, Jasper.

Bella walked out of the apartment and down into the street. She walked as she fished through her purse for her phone to call a cab.

Bella thought she heard footsteps behind her, so she quickened her pace. The night was cold and deadly silent, not one person in sight. Bella immediately regretted leaving the party alone.

Bella was near an alleyway when suddenly the footsteps gained on her and a man placed an arm around her waist and a hand over her mouth. Bella screamed into the hand and thrashed around wildly. The man placed his mouth right over Bella's ear.

"Don't make a sound or you'll regret it. Just be good and I won't hurt you," a smooth velvety voice warned.

The threat caused Bella to struggle and scream even more.

"Stop," the voice starting to sound angry.

Just then a car pulled up in the alley way and 3 men came out. They assessed the sight in front of the before one of then said in a teasing tone,

"What's wrong Eddie? Can't handle an 18 year-old?"

With that he advanced on Bella, gave her a, what Bella thought was a look of sympathy before he pressed a spot on Bella's neck and knocked her out.

A/n: Well there you have it. Please review and tell me if it's worth continuing 'cause I'm not sure it is.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Oh my god! You guys are wonderful! Thank you to everyone who reviewed or added the story to alerts or favourites!

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Twilight. Stephenie Meyer owns everything.

Chapter 2

Bella woke up, disoriented, with a dull pain in her neck. For a minute she was dazed before the memories of what happened yesterday came flooding back into her mind. She immediately sat up and looked around.

She was in a king sized bed in a very large, beautiful room. Her kidnapper must be rich.

The sheets and blanket on the bed were made of very fine and expensive silk that Bella knew you could only get in Europe. So were the curtains. There was a plasma screen television on the wall next to the bed and even the carpet seemed to be too expensive to walk on.

The reality of the situation suddenly hit Bella. She quickly got out of the bed, her heart rate increasing rapidly.

She noticed that she was dressed a matching pink pyjama set which was different than the jeans and top she was dressed in last night. Bella shuddered at what that might mean. But she decided not to dwell on it too much right now as she made her way to the too-big closet to see if there were any sneakers she could put on. There was so Bella rushed to put them on in case somebody came into the room.

She then went over to the door and tried to open it but it was locked and Bella's 110-pound body could not get it to budge. Bella let out a frustrated yell but stopped when she spotted a window.

She ran to it and climbed up onto the bedside table to reach it. She pulled it up with all her might but it would not open. On close expection it looked as though it was soldered shut.

Seeing as her exits were both locked, Bella decided to look around the room for any weapons she could use if the need arose. She looked everywhere. Under the bed, in the wardrobe, in the closet, in the drawers, everywhere.

But everything that could be considered as a weapon seemed to have been removed beforehand. This along with the fact that both the closet and wardrobe seemed to be full of clothes and shoes that were her size disturbed Bella greatly.

Footsteps could be heard just outside the room so Bella jumped into the bed like lightening.

The lock _clicked _and a man with reddish-brown hair and the most gorgeous green eyes walked in. But Bella was not a superficial type of person so, despite his appearance, she decided that her best bet to survive was to ignore him so as to not say something to anger him.

"Hello love. It's nice to see you awake. I was starting to worry," he said, frowning.

When Bella didn't reply, he continued.

" Well I'm sure your very curious about why you are here so let me explain it to you. My name is Edward and put quite simply I brought you here to be my wife. I've been watching you for a year now and I love you more than life itself and just want you to share that love with me. You'll have anything your heart desires in this life. I'll never hurt you. The only thing I ask from you is to not try to escape and to forget your old life. It has no place in your future."

Bella was listening with growing anger and at that last statement she exploded.

"HOW DARE YOU! Who do you think you are?! You must be crazy if you actually think that I will ever love you or become your wife! And what gives YOU the right to tell me what is in my future and what's not?! You obviously need some serious therapy you freaky stalker!"

Bella was in such a rage that she didn't even think about it when she marched right up to her kidnapper, got in his face and then slapped him full force across the face.

He stood there dazed and shocked for a moment. But a moment was all Bella needed as she bolted out of the now unlocked door.

A/n: Hope you liked it! I tried to make it longer this time! Please Review. Xoxo Mrs. Twilight


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. By the way this Fanfic is a human one in case you didn't know.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own anything associated with Twilight.**

**Chapter 3**

Bella's heart thumped at an exceedingly dangerous rate as she sprinted down the long hall. She past several large doors as she ran but it seemed to take hours to reach the end of the hall way. Finally she did reach the end of the hall and was faced with two large, oak doors.

Hoping with all her heart that these doors were not locked she pulled at the knobs. Her prays were thankfully answered and the doors easily opened exposing a terribly beautiful garden with roses, Daffodils, Frangipanis and Lillie's everywhere. Never before was Bella so relieved.

But her relief was short-lived when an ear-splitting alarm rang out as soon as she stepped outside. Fear spiked Bella's heart immediately and this fear only intensified when she heard footsteps running towards her from every direction. She also heard several dogs barking and her breathing hitched when she grasped just how powerful this man, Edward, seemed to be.

But Bella was always a stubborn person and, despite her fear and however futile she knew it was, she continued running through the garden trying her best not to stomp on the stunning array of flowers and plants.

She heard several deep shouts of "STOP" but ignored all of them, just willing her legs to move faster. She tried her best not to think what would happen to her if she was caught.

_He'll probably lock me in a cage with the dogs, _Bella thought but quickly shook her head to rid her mind of these terrifying thoughts but couldn't help but wonder _was her kidnapper a sadist? _Somehow Bella doubted it. It was odd how under normal circumstances Bella might have actually considered going on a date with him.

There was a sudden rumble of thunder. Tears of fear and frustration formed in Bella's eyes and started streaming down her face. She had always been practically disabled at anything involving sport and knew that the rain, which was now pouring down in buckets, would only enhance her already enhanced risk of tripping.

Regardless of this knowledge, Bella remained running as though she was in a marathon. But as she ran the inevitable trip happened. It occurred over a medium sized shrub with roses all around it. Bella landed face first in the disgusting dirt.

Only a millisecond later Edward appeared from what seemed like out of nowhere, his face unreadable. Bella got the impression he was angry though from the way his jaw was clenched and his body was all tensed up.

"Stay away from me," Bella said in a shaky voice as she stood up.

He ignored her and continued advancing on her. Bella's breathing hitched but she mustered up her courage and swiftly lifted up her knee to hurt him where the sun doesn't shine. Edward was not expecting any form of attack so Bella hit her target.

Edward's hands went straight to the offended area and his face seemed to go from pale to as red as a tomato in less than a second. He grunted and fell to the ground in pain obviously trying to regain his breath.

Bella smirked at him in vindictive pleasure and then turned from him to run but fell to the ground again when she bumped into what she thought was a wall. It was a man. Bella noticed it was the same man that knocked her out yesterday.

This man reminded Bella of Emmett from how tall and strong he looked. He was at least 195 cm tall and judging by how his muscles jutted out from his t-shirt so menacingly he was either on steroids or lived in a gym. His face, Bella thought, was handsome. He had eyes as blue as the sea on a hot day and his tan skin colour and chocolate-brown hair complemented this immensely. His face was very defined but in a good way. But what shocked Bella was that his demeanour seemed oddly friendly. Bella was reminded of the look of sympathy he gave her last night.

The man smiled at Bella, then bent down and grabbed her arm firmly but gently. He picked her up bridal style. Bella decided that, for her own safety, she would not struggle. This man could obviously cause more damage to her than Edward could.

A fresh round of tears formed in Bella's eyes. She was _so _close to getting away. But Bella decided it would be counter-productive if she dwelled on this. She would drive herself crazy.

_It doesn't matter. Just bid your time carefully and when the right time comes you can escape, _Bella told herself, inwardly.

"You know he's not such a bad guy once you get to know him," the man's deep, muscular voice told Bella shocking her out of her revere.

"Yes well he didn't kidnap _you _did he?" Bella retorted attempting but not succeeding in keeping her voice polite.

The man laughed in response, his eyes amused.

"Where is he anyway?" Bella asked, noticing he wasn't on the ground by the shrub any more.

"He probably went to his office to calm down. Sometimes he can have a temper problem. By the way my name's Jacob thanks for asking."

_Great I've been kidnapped by someone with a temper problem_, Bella thought sarcastically.

The rest of the walk back to the room where Bella was staying in was silent. Jacob placed her on the floor when they got to her room. He gave Bella a small, reassuring smile before he left, locking the door behind him.

Bella quickly got changed into a matching grey pyjama set from the wardrobe and then climbed into bed. It wasn't until now though that Bella realised just how tired she really was. Apparently escaping from someone who has kidnapped you really drains your energy levels. She was half asleep by the time her head hit the pillow.

The last thing Bella remembered before she fell into her deep slumber was someone coming into her room stroking her hair while they hummed a very serene lullaby.

**A/n: Hope you liked it! But I don't know what to do next? How do you guys want Edward to react when Bella wakes up? Any ideas are welcome ****xoxo Mrs. Twilight.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Thanks again to everyone who took the time to review. Also I had someone ask if I could write Edward POV of the first time he saw Bella. Would that be something to interest you guys?**

**Chapter 4**

When Bella woke up, she felt very groggy. She sat up, in the same bed she was in yesterday, and stretched. She rubbed her eyes getting all of the grit out of it. She got out of the bed and was suddenly painfully aware of the fact that she hadn't had a 'human' moment for almost a day and a half.

She urgently entered the door to the right of the bed and entered the magnificent bathroom. After she 'relieved' herself, she looked around. Unsurprisingly the bathroom, like the rest of the house, looked fit to serve royalty.

There was a Jacuzzi, that looked like a small swimming pool. The sink and mirror above it both had tiny crystals surrounding their frame and literally sparkled. Even the smell was amazing, like strawberries and cream.

Bella saw the shower in the corner and never one to decline a good shower, decided that there would be no harm in taking one. She needed to get all of the dirt and grime off of her from yesterday anyway.

She looked into the shower and saw that there was already shampoo, conditioner and body wash in there. There was also a clean towel on the towel rack. She quickly stripped and stepped into the shower concluding that she had better be quick in case Edward walked in.

_The pervert would probably enjoy this,_ Bella thought, annoyed. She hated people like that.

After she adjusted the water to her liking, Bella picked up the shampoo. She almost punched the glass wall of the shower. It was the same brand of shampoo she had been using for the past two years, _Head and Shoulders_.

As she washed her hair and body, Bella thought of all the insults and profanities she would scream at Edward next time she saw him. But then something Jacob said yesterday came floating back to her mind.

"_Sometimes he can have a temper problem_"

This memory had her firmly vowing to herself that she would try her absolute best to not to say something that would anger Edward.

This was because, despite how much being married to this disgusting asshole made her skin crawl and her body shiver with disgust, she was not looking to actually get hurt and Edward had shown that he clearly had the skills and resources to do so.

Finishing her shower, she turned off the water and wrapped the fluffy towel around her small body. She stepped out of the shower and walked back into the bedroom to look for something to wear.

She gasped, however, when she saw the man she loathed sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room. His gaze darkened when he saw Bella and she held the towel tighter to her body.

"I'll leave for five minutes so you can get dressed. When I return we are going to talk about the consequences of your actions yesterday," Edward said, in a neutral but commanding tone.

Bella's anger bubbled to the surface, for being talked to in such a patronising tone but she quickly remembered her vow and forced herself to keep quiet and nod her head in agreement. Edward left. Bella quickly picked out some dark skinny jeans, a red jumper and white sneakers and got dressed. She grumbled to herself the whole time.

She sat on the bed as she waited for Edward. He struck Bella as a punctual type of man and her interpretation of his character was proven to be right when Edward came back into the room exactly five minutes after he left it.

He was wearing light- coloured jeans and a black t-shirt, which clung to his body showing off all of his defined muscles. Bella couldn't help but notice how much the black shirt made his emerald eyes sparkle.

He sat back down in the rocking chair and after an awkward silence he spoke in an icy voice.

"I understand that all of this is entirely new to you, and while I know that you need a certain amount of time to adjust, I will NOT tolerate a repeat performance of yesterday!" Edward's voice was now a dominating shout.

"You are mine! So I'll give you a fair warning now. If you ever try to escape from me again, I assure you that you will be the only one to suffer. As you saw yesterday, you will not be successful, so you might as well save yourself the time and energy."

Try as hard as she might, the independent woman in Bella simply would not let her be talked to in this way and keep her vow to stay quiet.

"I thought you said you wouldn't hurt me! What happened to that promise, huh? Plus what the hell do you me I'm yours?!" Bella screamed, indignantly.

Edward abruptly stood from chair and stalked over to Bella, his eyes blazing. Bella shirked. When Edward spoke it was in a thunderous voice.

"That's enough Bella! You will not speak to me in that tone ever again! When I say that you are mine I mean just that. You ARE mine and you had better get used to hearing it. When I said that I would not hurt you I meant it. I will never touch you in anger. But that does not mean that you will not suffer. I will not hesitate to hurt your friends if necessary."

Bella opened her mouth to protest, but Edward cut her off.

"As a result of your childish behaviour yesterday, your dear friend Alice paid the price for your mistake."

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a photo. It showed Alice lying in a hospital bed. Her head was bandaged and her arm was plastered, obviously broken. Today's date was in the corner.

Bella gasped in horror, tears already starting to stream down her face. She couldn't even insult Edward. How could she when she was the reason for her best friend's pain?

Edward took Bella's face in his hands. Bella thought she saw an emotion close to agony flash in his eyes, but knew she imagined it. As if a monster like this can actually feel emotions.

"I don't like causing you pain Bella. I love you. But if you force my hand again, by attempting something as foolish as escaping, then next time I might not be so kind in what kind of injury I have my men inflict on your friends."

With that he turned and exited the room, leaving Bella in a sobbing mess on the bed.

**A/n: Tell me what you thought. Plus if you want me to do Edward POV please bear in mind that this is only my first story, so I may not have the kind of experience to do Edward POV.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: Thanks for all the great reviews. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Twilight.**

Chapter 5

Bella spent at least the next hour crying, while clutching at the picture of Alice. Bella had always been a kind, selfless person and this was just eating away at her conscience. As she cried, Bella, for the first time since her kidnapping, truly grasped the gravity of the situation she was currently in.

This man was obviously exceptionally rich, powerful and possessive. Hell, he even seemed to have damn hit men at his disposal! Bella knew that this man could practically get away with anything. Even if he were to murder one of Bella's friends, like he implied he would. Suddenly, it dawned on Bella that she, in reality, had no chance of escaping from a man _this_ controlling. A man that would go as far as hurting her best friend, in order to ensure she stayed with him.

Bella had stopped crying now and as she wondered what to do about her dire situation, Jacob walked in. He was carrying a tray of food. Bella hadn't had anything to eat since her birthday party, so at the sight of the appetising turkey sandwich, her stomach growled.

Jacob placed it on the bed, near Bella. She gave him a small, warm smile until she saw him avoid her eyes. Bella was intelligent and put two and two together. Her smile turned into a basilisk glare.

"Tell me, did you feel like a man when you and your moronic friends broke the arm of a girl half your size?" Bella asked, jeering.

Jacob didn't reply as he walked out of the room.

"IDIOTIC DOG!" Bella yelled after him. She was angry at him, but more so at herself. She couldn't believe she actually thought he was better than Edward. They were all as bad as each other!

As she ate, Bella formulated a plan. She would not try to escape again. She couldn't risk her friend's safety. Instead she would wait.

Alice was the smartest person Bella knew and Bella was confident that she would already be worried as she didn't call her when she arrived home, which was like a ritual for them. This along with the fact that none of her friends would find her at her apartment when they visited would be enough for them to start a search party.

And while Bella wasn't sure about the police's ability to find her, she knew her friends would stop at nothing to find her. When they did, Bella knew that Emmett, who was like a big brother to her, would beat the crap out of Edward and then send him to jail.

Until that happened though, Bella resolved that the best coarse of action to take would be to lure Edward into a false sense of security by going along with this ridiculous charade of his. She would be polite to him and indulge his demented fantasy of the two of them being together as man and wife. Then, when Emmett showed up, Bella would spit in his extraordinarily beautiful face.

_Yes, that's a great plan, _Bella thought to herself, vindictively.

But Bella was the type of person that had to be doing something all the time to survive and knew that her seemingly foolproof plan would take at least 2 weeks to pan out. So she had to find something to do. She finished off her sandwich and got up.

After looking around the room a little she found a wide variety of books and DVD's in a drawer near the bed. It didn't escape Bella's attention that they were all her favourites but she was getting used to it by now. She picked out the book, _Pride and Prejudice_, and started reading. She was about half way through the book when Edward walked in, at four o'clock.

A spark of hatred and something else that was unknown sprang up in Bella when she saw Edward, but she stifled it down.

_Just another two weeks_, Bella told herself inwardly, repeating it like a mantra.

"Bella," he started, his tone bordering on adoration, "I know you still must be upset with me, but remember that I only did it so you can see the error of your ways. I would never hurt someone you love just for that sake of doing it. You know that right?" His face crumpled, as though his heart would break if she didn't know it was right.

_Just two more weeks, _the mantra continued.

"Yes Edward," Bella said, through gritted teeth.

"Good. I'm glad we're over that. Now I'm going to show you around our home, so you know your way around it. I'm sure you are getting quite bored in this room all day," Edward replied, his green eyes now illuminated with excitement.

Bella sighed quietly, but stood up and took Edward's awaiting hand. His hold was firm. He led her out into the hallway and then into the door to the right of the bedroom. It was breathtaking, to say the least.

The tiles were all glass and there was a grand staircase in the middle of the room. There was a gorgeous glass chandelier in the crystal ceiling that added to the priceless look of the room. It reminded Bella of the ballroom in Beauty and the Beast. But this room seemed to be a dining room as there was a long mahogany table at the left side of the room.

Edward, his eyes still alight with happiness, pulled her hand and led her up the stairs. He showed her everything. The bedrooms, which were all as magnificent as hers, the lounge room, which had a theatre- sized television, the music room, which had an amazing grand piano, everything.

Despite herself, Bella couldn't help but feel comfortable and relaxed. Edward just seemed so…. so _human._ You could virtually feel his enthusiasm as he told Bella all about his father and how he left him this house when he died.

"I had a good relationship with my father. My mother died when I was younger from cancer, before she had anymore children, so it was just me and my father. He was a very talented heart surgeon so we were well off, financially. When I was ten he bought this house and of course I loved it. When I was seventeen he died in a car crash, so I inherited this house," he explained, a soft sadness gracing his stunning face.

Bella felt an unexplainable tug at her heart when she saw Edward in pain, but ignored it.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Edward," she said, in a very sincere voice.

Edward perked up immediately and beamed at Bella.

"Thank you. But it has been eight years now, so I am mostly over it. But enough talk about this. I have to show you the last room; I saved it until the end because I knew you would love it." He had a sudden gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

He pulled Bella to the second last door in the hallway.

"Close your eyes Bella," Edward told her.

For a reason unknown to her, Bella trusted Edward, in that moment, not to hurt her and she complied. He led her into the room, carefully, and told her to open her eyes. She did and suddenly she was in heaven. Books surrounded her everywhere. Even that 'book smell' she loved so much was in the air. The library was bigger than any other one she had entered. Bella, although she would never admit it, was overjoyed. She turned to Edward.

"Thank you," she said in a heartfelt voice before she hugged Edward around the neck. He quickly hugged her back.

When Bella pulled away, she saw he was once again beaming at her.

After picking out some books, Bella sat down at the desk in room to read. Edward phone rang after an hour and he went outside to answer it, leaving Bella alone. She heard him descending the stairs. Unsure of what to do, Bella decided to go back to her room as it was getting late.

But as she left the library, books in hand, she noticed a room to the right that Edward had not shown her. Unable to curb her curiosity, she impulsively went over to the door. She turned the knob, but a loud sharp voice startled her before she could open it. She dropped the books and put her hand on her pounding heart as she turned around.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Edward bellowed, in a thunderous voice.

"I....I....I," Bella stuttered, very afraid.

Edward stomped up to her, his face red with fury and his jaw as clenched as can be. He also seemed to be as tense as a board. He grabbed Bella roughly by her forearms.

"You are NEVER to enter that room. You will regret it immensely if you do. Are we clear?!" he asked, in a tremendously deadly and threatening voice.

Bella couldn't believe the drastic change of mood. Only five minutes ago he seemed as happy as a child with candy and now he was like this. It was like witnessing the change between Jekyll and Hyde, except this was much more frightening.

"ANSWER ME!" Edward looked deranged now. He shook Bella by the arms. Bella could feel the bruises, from his painful grip, already forming on her sensitive skin.

"Yes I understand! Please let go!" The grip on her arms was now cutting off the blood circulation.

Edward released her, grabbed her hand and then led her back to her room. He left, slamming the door behind him. Bella was trembling. She couldn't remember ever having a more terrifying experience. What had changed?

She didn't know. What she did know was that she was kidnapped by a mentally unstable person, and she desperately needed to get away from him.

_Just another two weeks, _the mantra repeated over and over in Bella's head as she fell asleep on the bed.

**A/n: Hope you liked it! I have decided that, for now, I won't do an Edward POV. So, sorry if that disappoints some people but I just don't think I can write one that I can be proud of. Please review xoxo Mrs. Twilight **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n: Thanks for all the great reviews. Also my sister recently wrote a story and posted it up on my profile because she couldn't be bothered to make her own account. You should go check it out; it's a really cute short story. Plus just to clarify something. If my story has any resemblance to Beauty and the Beast, it is just coincidental. I didn't even notice until someone pointed it out to me.**

**Warning****: There is an attempted rape scene in this chapter. It's not that graphic, but I'm giving you a fair warning now. If this offends you please just skip this chapter. Don't falme me. **

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own anything associated with Twilight.**

**Chapter 6**

It had been two weeks. Two excruciatingly long two weeks. Granted, they were quite uneventful. Bella stayed in her room the whole time, reading all day and seeing someone only when the maid came in with her lunch. But it had still been two weeks and Bella was still in exactly the same room she was in two Mondays ago.

Despite her growing panic, Bella frequently tried to reason with herself. Maybe they were searching, but simply couldn't find the mansion. Maybe they know exactly where she was and are coming up with a plan of attack, right this second. Maybe they only required a few more days to find her.

However, even though Bella told herself everyday that any of these things was possible, she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in her gut that told her that, for some reason, her friends were under the impression she was safe and were not searching for her.

_No,_ Bella thought to herself each time she had this thought. _Alice is my best friend. She knows that if I'm going somewhere I would tell her directly._

Although she tried, it was getting increasingly hard for Bella to remain positive. Admittedly, it didn't help that she was stuck in the same stupid room 24/7. She hadn't been able to leave it since Edward had gone psycho on her. Speaking of Edward, he seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth. Or at least that's what Bella hoped happened.

That was until the presents started arriving. Although Bella hadn't actually seen Edward since that disastrous afternoon, he has been sending presents with her lunch every day since Wednesday two weeks ago. And they weren't small presents either. He sent her digital cameras, computers, jewellery, books, perfume and pretty much everything a girl could ever want. Bella ruined every single one of these presents. Honestly, what was she supposed to do with a digital camera when he had her locked up in the godforsaken room all day long?

Although for the most part Bella was glad to escape from Edward's annoyingly gorgeous and possessive face, a part of her desperately wished that he would come into her room so that she could give him a piece of her mind. She seemed to have forgotten all about the resolution she made, not too long ago, to remain polite with him. She was a strong, independent woman and she would be damned if she let somebody, much less a man, treat her like crap and then think she can be bought off with fancy presents.

At that moment maid, whose name was Anna, walked in with Bella's lunch. This was a regular occurrence and Bella always found herself anticipating these short visits. They were pretty much the only thing preventing her from going insane from loneliness.

"Hello Miss Bella. How are you today?" Anna asked, in her thick Portuguese accent.

During their short conversations, Bella had learnt that Anna was an immigrant from Brazil that came to the States a year ago. She told Bella about how no one would hire her because she didn't graduate from an American high school and about how Edward was the only person to give her a chance. She was a very beautiful woman. Tall, tanned and exotic she had an uncanny likeness to Jennifer Lopez. She was a very kind, middle-aged lady and Bella felt sorry for her. She couldn't even _fathom_ having Edward as a boss although Anna always assured her that without him she would probably be homeless right now. Bella's mood brightened significantly when she saw Anna.

"I'm good thanks, Anna. Plus how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Bella? Miss makes me feel old," Bella said. No matter how many times she _did _tell Anna this, it never made any difference.

"So tell me. Do you know if the bipolar freak is going to let me out any time soon?" Bella asked, as she cut up her steak lunch.

Anna sighed. Bella knew it was because she didn't like it when she insulted Edward. Something about Edward being a good person at heart or some tripe like that.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, he is coming down right after his meeting. He told me to tell you," Anna replied.

"Ugh. Shoot me now," Bella said.

Anna shot her a disapproving look.

"Be nice," she muttered to Bella. "I'll see you later. I've got some chores to do but please try to make an effort to be kind with him," Anna said, as she made her way to the door.

"Okay. See you," Bella replied, her mouth full of steak and potato. She heard Anna's soft laughter ring out as she left.

Bella finished eating and sat up. She picked up the thick _Harry Potter_ book from her bedside table. Although she was mostly just angry at Edward, Bella still remembered the bone-chilling look on his face that afternoon and the memory of her bruises on her arms was still fresh in her mind.

Much to Bella's embarrassment, these things repeatedly triggered a slight but intense fear of Edward whenever she thought about them. And the book, however useless it may seem, provided Bella with some comfort. She knew that the hard cover would definitely cause some damage to Edward if she were to throw it at him. She hated the fact that he was stronger that her physically, and she hated feeling weak. She would show him just how strong she really was.

She heard footsteps approaching. The door opened and Edward walked in dressed in jeans and a white polo shirt. His smile disappeared, however, when he saw all the presents he sent Bella over the past two week, in a pile in the corner of the room, mutilated.

Bella smirked at his expression. She could see that he was trying to reign in his anger and clutched the book tighter. He seemed to get himself under control after a minute. He gave Bella a furious look, before leaving without a word. Bella let out a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to get blood all over her book.

She stood and put in the movie, _The Notebook, _in the DVD player. She was in tears, as it was the end of the movie and Allie and Noah had just died, when she heard the door unlock. She quickly wiped her tears, thinking it was Edward and not wanting him to see her like this. It wasn't. It was one of the men she saw the night she was kidnapped.

He had a cute, baby-face although he had a fair amount of facial hair on him. His pale blond hair was gelled into spikes. His blue eyes, however, were bloodshot and full of lust. He stumbled into the room and Bella realised he was drunk.

"You must be beautiful Bellaaaa......." he slurred.

He was now extremely close to Bella and his disgusting breath fanned her face. Bella almost gagged. She made a move to get off the bed and away from the man but he stopped her. Bella could feel the barely faded bruises returning.

"Where are you going? The fun hasn't even started," he said, putting his greasy hand on Bella's breast suggestively. Bella shrieked.

"Get the hell away from me!" Bella yelled, as she tried to swat his hand away.

He got angry and slapped her.

"Be quiet!" he said, forcefully.

Bella ignored him and screamed again as he climbed on top of her. He paid no attention to her as he started unbuttoning her shirt. Bella tried to fight him, but he was much too strong for her 110 pound body.

_Please god no. Please, please let someone- anyone- come save me. Please, please, _Bella silently pleaded as tears streamed down her face. She screamed again and started sobbing.

Just when she thought that he would get her shirt off, the door slammed open. Suddenly the weight on Bella was gone. Edward was standing there, with a fire in his eyes that would make even the strongest of men cower. But at that moment Bella was never happier to see anyone in her life.

He punched the now vomiting man in the face with a Mohamed Ali style punch. Bella was on the bed shaking, sobbing and screaming. She was so scared! The fire in Edward's eyes softened slightly at this sight. He turned to the near unconscious man on the floor and crouched down to his level. In a deadly whisper he said,

"You will forever more regret the day you had the nerve to touch that beautiful creature over there."

Then he slapped the man, dragged him outside and gave him to Jacob who seemed to be waiting already. Edward walked back in and hesitated for a second before he engulfed a near hysterical Bella in his arms.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay. You're safe now. I won't let anybody hurt you," he soothed, in a slightly pained whisper.

Bella was so terrified and she felt so safe in Edward's arms. She snuggled further into his chest, attempting to prevent hyperventilating. After much reassurances and kind words, Bella calmed down. She was still shaking, but she, for some reason, felt so protected with Edward's arms around her.

She started drifting off to sleep as Edward hummed an amazing lullaby to her.

"Don't go," Bella mumbled, through half-lidded eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. Sleep well my beautiful angel. I love you so much."

Bella heard him reply as he stroked her hair lovingly. She drifted asleep, calm and content.

**A/n: Hope you liked it! Tell me what you think in a review! Xoxo Mrs. Twilight **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n: We've reached 100 reviews! Thanks you to all of those wonderful reviewers. I truly do appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If you decide to sue me, you'll get nothing too.**

**Chapter 7**

Over the next month, things changed between Bella and Edward. Although Bella only went to Edward for comfort because of her absolute terror and vulnerability at the time, it seemed to have opened up a side of Edward- a softer side- that Bella liked.

The morning after the _incident_, Bella woke up from a night of restless sleep, expecting to find herself alone in the bed. Instead, she found herself still engulfed in the wonderful warmth from the night before. Even though she found herself pressing closer to the warmth, she couldn't help but be perplexed.

She had always talked in her sleep and knew that, from the traumatic event she experienced, she probably screamed a lot during the night. Bella also didn't put it past her to hit the closest thing to her and, judging by the vivid nightmares she was having, she did exactly that.

She looked up and was met, once again, with a pair of adoring green eyes. Neither of them knew what to say, so they both just lay there, watching each other. After a while there was a knock on the door. Bella's heart rate accelerated. Edward seemed to sense her fear and held her tighter.

"Don't worry. It's just Jacob," he whispered to Bella, who noticeably calmed down.

"Come in," he said, in a louder tone. The door opened and Jacob walked in. He looked at Bella straight away and gave her a fiercely sympathetic look. Bella smiled weakly back at him. He pulled his gaze away from Bella and then addressed Edward.

"I just wanted to reassure you that Mike won't be bothering Bella anymore." He had a smirk on his face that Edward returned. Bella also noticed that Edward had a strangely malicious glint in his eyes.

"Thank you," he replied. Jacob nodded as though he was shrugging off something, gave Bella a big grin and then left. Bella spoke after a moment.

"S....So the man's name was M....Mike?" she asked, stuttering. Edward's expression turned stony.

"Yes," he answered, stiffly. Bella nodded and was silent for a minute, before she asked the question that was weighing down on her.

"Edward, what happened to Mike?"

The malicious glint was back in his eyes.

"Let's just say he was....taken care of," he said, cryptically. Bella was strongly reminded of the Mafia.

"What did you do?" she asked in a very small voice, so unlike her normal voice. Edward sighed.

"Let's just leave it at he was fired. Okay?" he asked, softly. His eyes were gentle now. Bella nodded before she blurted out her next question, unthinkingly.

"Why did you stay the night with me?" Bella asked. "I mean I know I kept you awake with my screaming. And I also know that I hit you a few times." Bella blushed scarlet as soon as the words were out of her mouth but Edward's striking face was abruptly in agony.

"Bella. You must know how much I love you by now. I will gladly and willingly be your punching bag. It's only one hundredth of the punishment I truly deserve for not being there. For not protecting you." His voice broke on the last word. Bella saw tears in his emerald eyes, before he closed them trying to be strong. Bella regretted asking. She didn't want to cause him any pain.

When Edward opened his eyes, there was a ferocious determination in them.

"But I will never let any harm come near you again. Please, please know that you are always safe here Bella." Looking into his eyes, which were pleading with her to believe him, and hearing Edward say those words in such an honest and genuine way, rendered Bella defenceless against not believing anything that he said.

After that, things seemed to regulate into a routine. Every morning, bright and early at nine am, Edward would burst into Bella's room and vigorously wake her up. After Bella got dressed, they would go and have breakfast together. Anna was an excellent cook and this was always a pleasant affair.

After this, they would do some kind of activity together. Bella had never realised just how much the mansion could be fun, until she wandered around with Edward, doing things. Some days they would watch a movie in Edward 'mini cinema', as Bella called it, while they stuffed their faces with popcorn and candy. Bella always got to pick the movie and Edward always braved through whatever movie was on. _Even _when they watched _The Titanic._ Other days they would just sit on the couch in the library and read all day. Sometimes Edward would even get out his private jet and they would fly to one of his many sea-side villas and just watch the calming sea all day.

But Bella's favourite thing that she did with Edward was when he played the piano for her. She insisted they do this every day and they did. Each day he would have a different song written for her. He was so talented and looked so peaceful as he played. It was so amazing how even his hands seemed graceful as they glided over the piano.

By the time they finished their activity for the day, it would be dinner time. After dinner, they would go back to Bella's room and just talk. Bella never failed to notice how much they both had in common. Even things that seemed so trivial, like her favourite colour and food, seemed to be parallel to Edward's. They always talked for hours but they never once got bored.

After this they would climb into Bella's bed together. At the beginning Bella was hesitant about this and didn't let him in her bed. But after only one night by herself she had a horrible nightmare about Mike and was so scared that she wet herself. She let Edward into her bed after that and it never happened again. Bella would clutch Edward very close to herself, while he hummed one of the songs he wrote to her. The last thing he told her every night was "I love you."

Although a month had past and there was still no evidence of her friends coming for her, Bella honestly couldn't bring herself to care. Now she was actually _enjoying _herself. Edward was, well he was such a gentleman. He still had his moments when he acted all possessive and dominating and it still scared Bella close to tears but he changed so much that he apologised about ten times as soon as he saw Bella's tears.

But the fact that she was happy, both angered and confused Bella. It angered her because she had always laughed so hard with Alice whenever they saw someone on the news that defended their kidnapper and now she had become one of those people. Or at least she would be if someone had the nerve to insult or offend Edward in any way.

It confused her because this happiness always triggered an unknown and therefore scary emotion in Bella. She had been trying for all these weeks to figure out what this emotion could be. She thought about how intense this emotion was whenever Edward touched her or whenever he said anything of endearment to her. She also thought about how this emotion seemed to deepen every time she saw Edward in pain. And then it hit her, like a ton of bricks.

Could she really be falling in love with Edward?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: Okay first of all, I am so so so sorry that I haven't updated in like forever. I know you all must want to kill me. I have just been extremely busy with school and my cousins have just come to live in Australia so I've also been busy with them. Please forgive me and I will try to update more regularly from now on but I honestly can't make any promises. I didn't really like this chapter but see what you think. Here's chapter 8..... **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.**

**Chapter 8 **

_Bella was standing in a kitchen cooking her famous roast beef. As she stood at the stove, stirring the gravy, two young children ran past the kitchen into the backyard. Bella smiled to herself and followed them out, placing her left hand on her swollen stomach, the beautiful 14 carat ring gold ring on her left ring finger shining brightly in the light._

"_Renesme! Carlisle! Dinner's almost ready!" she yelled out to them._

"_Okay mom! We'll come inside in a minute!" they yelled back as they played._

Little tykes, _Bella thought to herself fondly. As she entered the kitchen again she heard the front door unlock._

"_DADDY!" The two 8 year-olds ran back inside at the sound of their father arriving home and jumped into his awaiting arms. Bella heard a slight commotion and two squeals of joy and knew that Edward was dangling the two children upside down. It was one of their "games". Bella grinned. He was such a great dad._

_Just then, Edward walked into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Bella's torso._

"_How are my two girls doing today?" he asked._

"_Good. At least the soccer match that was taking place in my stomach seems to have finished," Bella replied. _

_Edward laughed, before he turned Bella around and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away._

"_Wake up, honey."_

Bella was awoken from her dream by an eager Edward shaking her. She groaned.

"Go away," she muttered. Edward laughed as he opened the curtains, letting the powerful sun rays into the room. Bella pulled the blanket over her head only to have it yanked back by Edward.

"Come on sleepyhead. Get up. We've got a lot to do today," Edward said. His voice held a tone of enthusiasm Bella had never heard before.

"Okay. Okay," Bella said sleepily as she stood up. She stretched and then used the bathroom to freshen up. When she came out she was unsurprised to see that Edward had left. He did this every morning to allow Bella to get dressed in private. As she changed into her jeans and red shirt, Bella's panic grew. _What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she having dreams of marrying Edward and having his kids? Ugh. Maybe she was suffering Stockholm syndrome._

But the fact of the matter was this. Although he was improving, for Bella to enter a fully committed and loving relationship with Edward, he would have to do something truly extraordinary. Bella couldn't put her heart on the line just to have it broken. So Bella decided not to tell Edward of her growing feelings for him, unless he did something unbelievable for her.

When she finished getting ready, Bella made her way to the dining room to have breakfast with Edward. However, when she got there she saw Edward and Anna huddled in a corner, whispering, stealing furtive looks at her. She smiled at their juvenile antics as she made her way to them.

"What are you two whispering about?" she asked, when she reached them.

"Never you mind. You just go and enjoy your breakfast," Anna replied, ushering Bella to the table which already had breakfast on it.

Bella shrugged and starting eating breakfast with Edward as he sat down too. After they both finished their banana pancakes and waffles, Edward stood.

"Bella would you like to accompany me somewhere today?" he asked.

It was crazy how Bella had grown to trust Edward so much over the last month that, without any hesitation or questioning, replied with a "Yes".

Edward smiled warmly and extended his arm to Bella. She took it and he led her out to the garage. But instead of taking her to one of the cars, he led her to a shelf of tools. Bella looked at Edward, confused. He just shook his head at her and lifted the shelf to the side, while Bella watched and, once again, marvelled at his toned muscles. Behind the shelf was a door. He took out a key from his breast pocket and opened the door. Bella's jaw dropped when she saw a helicopter on a pad.

_How many ways of transport does he have?! _

This amazed thought must have translated onto her face because when Edward turned to face her, he laughed -much like he did at most of Bella's reactions.

"You would think after a month with me you would be used to things like this," he said to Bella, teasingly.

Bella's look of astonishment disappeared and was replaced a not-too serious glare. She nudged him in the shoulder playfully.

Edward just smiled and opened the door of the helicopter for Bella, who climbed in only after some help from Edward. He then climbed into the pilot seat and started up the helicopter.

_Was there anything this man couldn't do? _Bella asked herself mentally. She was starting to think the answer was no. She could feel her previous panic returning but quickly pushed it down before it showed on her face. He could _even _tell all of her emotion and she didn't have to say one word. It was almost like he could read her mind sometimes. So Bella decided to just forget about all of her worries and just enjoy what he had planned.

The journey to wherever they were going was awfully enjoyable, Edward animatedly pointing out beautiful scenery-which he seemed to know a lot about- as they flew over them. After about an hour, Edward expertly landed the helicopter on an already awaiting pad and Bella turned to him.

"So are you finally going to tell me what we are doing?" she asked. She was trying to seem indifferent but she was dying to know and knew that that seeped into her tone making her appear desperate to know.

Edward's only answer was to smile. He got out of the helicopter and came around to open Bella's door for her. He took her hand and helped her outside. She looked around and saw that they were in a forest. Bella turned to Edward, a puzzled expression on her face. Edward knew that she loathed the outdoors with a vengeance. Edward took her expression in and laughed.

"Just come with me," he said in a mockingly exasperated tone. He led her for only a few minutes and then told her to shut her eyes. She did and he continued to carefully lead her for a few seconds and then told her to open her eyes.

When she did Bella was simply mesmerised. They were standing on a tall mountain, which had a magnificent view of what seemed like the whole rainforest. They could see the extraordinary flowers and plant, the blossoming trees, the ponds, the river, the captivating animals, pretty much everything. On the tip of the mountain there was a picnic blanket already set up with mouth-watering food on it.

She saw that Edward was looking at her with a slightly afraid look on his face and Bella realised that he was nervous that she wouldn't like his surprise for her. She closed the short distance between them and gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. He relaxed immediately. Taking the lead, Bella took Edward's hand and lead him over to the blanket and sat them down.

They spent the whole afternoon alternating between talking, eating and marvelling at the beautiful forest. It never got boring and at one point they even fed each other strawberries. Bella had never felt such a strong feeling when his fingers touched her lips. It was like a fully charged electrical jolt and even as the time passed the tingling sensation on her lip wouldn't go away. At the end of the day they watched the glorious sunset together, the radiant light illuminating Edward's breathtaking face further. Bella couldn't resist and kissed his cheek again.

It was dark before they both climbed back into the helicopter and flew back to the manor. When she exited the helicopter, Bella started heading to her room, but was stopped by Edward. He lowered his lips to Bella's ear, sending sparks down her body.

"I've got another surprise for you," he murmured softly. He pulled out something from his pocket and silently asked Bella's permission to place it on her. Bella nodded and he gently placed the blindfold across Bella's eyes.

He led her for about five minutes and then told Bella to stop. Bella heard him opening a door and felt him undoing her blindfold. She had barely stepped into the room before a small, black-haired girl came barrelling into her, embracing her in a tight hug. Bella couldn't believe it.

Alice was here.

**A/n: Well I hope you all liked it. Please review and tell me what you thought but no flames please. Constructive criticism is welcomed though. Plus I really would like some of your ideas on where this should go because I'm a bit stuck. Sorry again for the late update. I really hope you end up sticking to reading this story xoxo **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay so I know that all of you probably want to kill me right now. I know I haven't updated in forever but real life has been knocking me around. We did renovations on our house and I had some personal stuff to deal with. Plus I had the biggest writers' block ever. I absolutely hate this chapter but I couldn't think of anything else and I wanted to get SOMETHING out to you guys. So please bear with me and try to stick with the story.**

**Also I've recently got a new beta, the truly wonderful BROOKIEO, and so you can thank her for the high quality of this chapter. Without her it would just be a mess. Thank you again; you really are a blessing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing – only the plot.**

**Chapter 9**

_My mind was in shock. I just couldn't seem to process what was going on in front of me. Alice was here. Here, in the mansion where I was taken after I was kidnapped! She was here, despite my being told that I would never see any of my friends again. And Edward was the one to bring her here. _

Bella's dazed state lasted for at least a solid couple of minutes, before Alice's chirping trilled into her ears and woke her from her shock-induced daze. She was babbling on about some insignificant detail; i.e., how Bella's clothes were dreadfully uncoordinated.

"Alice!" Bella gushed, her tears instantly erupting at the sound of her best friend's voice. She embraced Alice with tightly constricting arms. Despite her discomfort, Alice didn't pull away; she returned the sentiment and smoothed Bella's hair. She mumbled something about the condition of Bella's tangled locks, causing Bella to cough a laugh underneath Alice's iron grip.

10 minutes gave Bella the time to piece herself together. She finally looked up into Alice's glistening, blue eyes; they were swimming with curiosity. Bella flashed a sad yet assuring smile. It slowly curved into a wince once she remembered Edward was in the room.

Bella beckoned him over. He came immediately, smiling. He appeared to understand the question in Bella's eyes and acknowledged it.

"Bella, I invited Alive over to our mansion to stay for a while. I thought that maybe she could keep you company, especially while I am working," he explained to Bella and then leaned in. To Alice, he seemed to kiss Bella's neck, but he was simply whispering:

"She knows nothing. Please keep it like that, love." His shimmering emerald gaze captivated Bella and, before thinking, she nodded in agreement. Edward beamed and pulled away. He addressed Alice now, who was staring at the pair with amusement.

Edward's lilting voice, punctuated with dramatic pauses, was alluring as ever. "Welcome to my home. I hope that you find it sufficient for your stay. I'm sure you'd like to catch up with Bella on many things, so I have also booked for you an appointment at the spa tomorrow. I hoped this would allow you to _converse in comfort_." The corners of his mouth lifted at his small alliteration. "Is this acceptable?" He glanced between them.

"Are you freaking kidding me? Of course! And I _love_ this house- it's _massive_ and _totally_ 1700's. That's very fashionable these days, you know." She slowed down. "And I get to spend all of tomorrow with my _beautiful_"-she nudged him- "best friend, on a spa trip paid by _somebody else_! What more could a girl ask for?" She finally exhaled, causing Edward to chuckle.

"Splendid. There's one more thing, however, before you leave: I had your belongings taken to Bella's room. But if you would feel more comfortable in a separate room, that can be arranged as well."

Alice waved her hand at him, but kept focused on Bella. "I haven't see Bells in two months. I want to spend as much time as possible with her. Besides, I positively_ must_ to be with her to choose her outfit in the morning. Now Bella and I _really_ need to catch up," Alice replied, talking quickly again, without one breath breaking her monologue.

Before Bella could complete one gratified comment, Alice snatched her hand and left. Bella was still lightheaded as she lead the way to her room.

"Don't you love this house?" Alice exclaimed as the duo passed a grandiose staircase, bordered by two framed prints from the Louvre hanging on either side. Alice mistook Bella's giddy silence as boredom, and continued stiffly, "Well, I suppose you're already tired of the thick, woven rugs, luxurious furniture, and immaculate lighting- not to mention the flawless color themes- but I don't think I'd ever get enough!" Her animated words reverberated down the vast hallway. Bella was slow to thaw from her statuesque state.

Even as the girls reached Bella's room, Alice proceeded to comment on the flamboyant fretwork as Bella looked on. It had been quite a while since she'd seen Alice but she looked the same: short, glossy black hair she'd straightened into submission; brilliant, sky-blue eyes; flawless baby-smooth skin; and in general, a body to die for. Bella suddenly realized the magnitude of her forlornness during the past two months. Her petrified affection subsequently diffused.

"God, Alice, I have missed you so much; you can't even begin to imagine! What happened after the party? How did you know where I was? And what do you know of Edward?" Bella grilled her. Alice laughed lightly.

"Okay first of all, slow down, honey. And _sit_ down. Christ, you look like you're about to faint." Bella sat on the bed with Alice. "I've missed you so much, almost _too_ much. For the first couple of days after your party, I was _so_ worried. I couldn't even go to work because I was too troubled by the thought of what could've become of you. You didn't answer your cell or even show up at college orientation! I was a wreck. I had the worst type of things running through my head- enslavement, maybe prostitution…or hacked up to bite-sized Bella chunks and eaten by some serial killer…!" Alice shuddered before continuing.

I was asking everyone if they had seen you and no one had. Everyone said that I was overreacting, that you had just gone for a mini holiday to relax and didn't tell anyone so that you wouldn't be bothered, but I just had that best friend intuition you know? And anyway, you disappeared from your _own party_. Finally,_ finally_, Edward called and gave me the real scoop: You two have been going out in secret for about 6 months, because you didn't want anyone to know, and then he came and _whisked_ you away to some island as a surprise for your birthday. He said that you positively _loved_ it there -which I totally agree with by the way- and that you wanted to stay here with him for a few months, undisturbed and relaxing; and that you needed it after the death of your dad. He said that the island doesn't have reception and that's why you weren't answering your phone. And I believed him because I know how much of a private person you are, but I've got to be honest, Bella, I was hurt. I know you like your privacy when it comes to this type of stuff, but come on! I'm your _best friend_- I thought best friends told each other everything." Her shoulders slumped a little, and it was apparent that she felt deeply hurt. Bella girded herself. She knew she had to lie—and make it believable.

"Aww, Ali-cat no! Please don't get upset. I just...I...Edward is _really special_." To emphasize, she gestured with her hands. "No one's ever treated me as well as he has- like a princess."

As she said this, Bella realized that it was easier to say because not everything was a lie.

"…I guess I wanted to make sure he was for real before I introduced him to anyone- even you. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. As for this vacation...well...I wasn't really coping with Charlie's death that well around the time of my birthday, so when Edward brought me here, I decided to stay a bit longer, just for closure. I never wanted you to make you feel excluded. You're my best friend; _I love_ you." Bella detected a slew of threatening tears as she finished one of her rare speeches.

Alice's wounded-animal expression had ebbed away throughout Bella's dialogue and a softer, more accepting expression slowly appropriated. Alice looked very different bearing such a countenance; Bella hardly recognized her.

"I love you too. I can understand about Edward; you didn't want to tell me in case he ended up being an asshole. I get it. And I'm so sorry about how you felt about Charlie's death, I had no idea you were still dealing with it. If this holiday has helped with that...well, then, even though I missed you like hell, I'm happy you took it." They entwined into another hug.

The atmosphere morphed from gloomy and brooding to exultant and blithe as the two girls changed into their pyjamas and chatted about trivial things. Alice told Bella about her recent taking up of fashion design. Bella was informed of Alice's new crush: a 'hunk' by the name of Jasper who helped out her professors from time to time. "He's the cutest guy I have ever laid eyes upon," she gossiped. "Now if only he would lay eyes upon _me_!"

Then she went on about Rosalie and Emmett, Bella's two other close friends. They all go to the same school, where Rose and Alice share a room. Rosalie studies psychology and Emmett plays as quarterback on the football team.

"Scouts are crawling all around campus. He might get drafted for a professional team," Alice went on. Bella really missed them all and hoped to see them one more time.

Then Alice mentioned the incident that caused her fractured arm. Bella gulped, remembering she'd have to act as though this was her first time hearing of it.

"So I was walking home when these three men suddenly just _materialized_." Bella gaped. "They were grabbing at my purse, so I tried to fight back. Then one of those _thugs_," she spat, "Just grabbed my arm and _snapped _it like a toothpick. I reported them to the police station but couldn't give any because it was so dark." She sighed. "So they haven't been caught yet." Bella rubbed her arm in hopes of scrubbing off the goose bumps.

After two more hours of chatting, Bella allowed Alice a further tour of the hallway—but not the entire house, for fear of angering Edward. Alice drooled over the interior decorating all over again while Bella kept peering around in case of an Edward Appearance. Finally, the two girls returned to their room and climbed into king-sized bed together.

While Bella knew Alice was already arranging a slew of questions about Edward with which to drill her, both girls were drowsy from the day's excitement; and both fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

The next morning, as was routine, Edward came in to wake Bella up, only to see that she was already up with Alice, who was making her try on what looked like her whole wardrobe. He smirked at Bella's apparent horror as Alice handed her a pair of stilettos to try on. He allowed them their privacy after announcing breakfast, withdrawing from the room with Bella's ogle pinned to his back.

In half an hour, the two teenagers descended the staircase. Their light, musical laughter beguiled Edward as it alighted to his ears. He pivoted to greet the girls, but stopped as soon as he beheld Bella; the air literally caught in his tightened throat.

Bella simply looked ravishing, resplendent, goddess-like...he could go on for days, conscience permitting. She was dressed in a knee-length, black and white dress paired with black flats. Her flawless hair was curled perfectly to frame her face; her makeup only complemented her angelic aura.

His gawking caused both girls to snicker at his allured expression. Alice beamed smugly at Bella, mouthing: I told you so! Edward struggled to clear his mind of any erotic thoughts...what he wanted to do with Bella..._Stop! _He admonished himself.

However, it took him a good moment to completely gather himself.

"Y-you_ both_ look absolutely astounding today," he stammered, gripping the countertop to (hopefully) quell the tension underneath his jeans.

He motioned for them to join him at the breakfast table, whereon the food was already spread. According to Alice, the pancakes and omelets were "orgasmic" and the fruit on the side were apparently "sweeter than sugar," yet Edward could have been eating cardboard. His mind simply was unable to detach itself from thoughts of the goddess on his right. His impaired mental state caused his palms to develop a layer of sweat and his eyes to remain locked on the table in front of him. This small fact was noticeable enough to Bella that it caused a bright, crimson cloud to bloom across her high cheekbones. Alice donned a mischievous grin as the realization also dawned upon her.

After breakfast, Edward asked the girls to prepare for their trip to the spa resort, explaining that a limo would pull up for them out front. He kissed Bella on the forehead and departed to finish some work. In fifteen minutes, the girls were greeted by a stretch Hummer. Bringing only themselves, they climbed in the high vehicle. After the door was shut, everything outside the window took on a blurred appearance. Bella stopped looking, queasy to think how fast they must be moving. She didn't recognize the song on the radio—she wasn't updated when it came to the very latest music, considering her forced seclusion—but she and Alice began humming to the tune. Bella couldn't help but notice that, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alice smirking knowingly at her.

Upon their arrival, their agenda was explained. Afterwards, a small Asian woman conducted them to a massive, modern locker room, where they could change. Upon her return, she ferried them to an empty, two-person room. The room was warm and supplied with clean, white towels and a laundry hamper. When they were finally left alone in the mud baths, Bella addressed Alice, who was still grinning like a mad woman. Bella couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Spit it out!"

"OH MY GOD! You and Edward are more serious than I even imagined!" she yelled accusingly, splashing mud about her as her arms flew up.

"What are you talking about? We're just like any other couple," Bella shrugged innocently, smiling inwardly at the irony of this statement. Of course this _'relationship'_ she had with him was only an excuse for her prolonged stay in—in wherever she was.

"Bella. You are blind. Haven't you seen the way he admires you? That's a little more than just a cute little teenage crush." She scoffed. "He's_ clearly_ in love with you. But even more than that, it seems like his whole world revolves around you. Like, if something were to happen to you, he would jump off a bridge. And don't tell me you don't see this." She placed a muddied hand on her hip matter-of-factly.

"Okay. Yes, I do notice that," Bella blushed. Alice did not reply, as she seemed to be in some state of deep thought.

After climbing out of the tubs, they wrapped towels around themselves and found the showers. Bella poked her wet head out of the door and into the hallway to find the short Asian from earlier. Once Alice was finished rinsing off, they headed to the masseuses' wing, where they were informed that their massage would begin shortly. This room was of nearly the same style, but dimly lit and filled with the soft tinkle of a waterfall splashing gently on the miniature pond in the corner. Two tables padded with Tempur-Pedic upholstery centerpieced the room; a set of sheets was folded on one corner of either of the single beds. The girls disrobed and slipped under the sheets, placing their faces in the doughnut-shaped headrest.

Alice finally spoke up again. "That's all really good, obviously—I want only the _best_ for my _best_ friend-but it's also very intense, Bells," Alice marveled. "How do _you_ feel about him? And remember, it's just me, so _please_ be honest," Alice stopped as two women entered, unsure if the masseuses should be overhearing.

Bella hesitated, but not because of the masseuses' entrance. "He's perfect, and I know he would do anything for me and that he'd always protect me, but to be completely honest, part of me won't allow me to really put myself into it. I don't want to be hurt again. And he _is_ sometimes scary; he can be possessive and very domineering," Bella explained carefully, wishing she could divulge the entire truth. Her groan, caused by an old bruise being massaged, punctuated her sentence and reminded her just how domineering Edward could be.

"Just don't give in to pressure. And Bella, the possessive stuff is a normal guy thing, so long as he doesn't hurt you. But you make sure to tell him that if he lays a finger on you, I'll kick his ass," both girls laughed; what Alice really meant was that she'd have to get someone else to kick his ass. "But I do have to say, Bells, he seems really good for you." Her voice faltered for a moment, then steeled on. "He told me not to say this, but screw it. Guess what he did? He built a memorial for Charlie, and not just any memorial, Bells, but one qualified to rival that of a queen." Bella began to sniffle, so Alice quieted, allowing the audible pleasance of the waterfall to bring peace to the room.

Their previous separation didn't make the day awkward or unpleasant at all. In fact, Bella didn't believe anything could, it was so perfect. They received facials, manicures, pedicures, a complete body rejuvenation, and gourmet food, all the while discussing college. It was frivolous, but Bella needed a distraction from what Alice had said, because she was right. Edward _did_ look at her like his world would end if something happened to her. And if she was being honest with herself, he really _does_ attract her physically. He brought Alice here and he even built a memorial for her father, which meant more to her than anyone could ever comprehend. But what did she actually feel for him?

When they got back to the mansion, it was about 8 o'clock. Bella knew that every day, at this time, Edward was in the library, relaxing and reading a book in front of the hearth, so she told Alice she would be up in a while. She then slowly made her way to the library. When she reached the double doors, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and turned the handle, pushing it open. As she expected, Edward was there reading a Jane Austen classic. At the _creak _of the hinges turning, he glanced up. Seeing Bella in the doorway, he rose, crossing the room in two strides, embracing her and kissing her on the cheek.

"I've missed you today, more than you can imagine. It pains me to have you away from me, my beautiful swan," he murmured into Bella's silky, mahogany hair.

"I missed you too." She pulled away to look into his eyes, still keeping his long fingers entwined with hers. "Edward, today I realized-" Bella started, distracted as Edward pulled his fingers through her hair, the warmth from the fire from behind them facilitating her comfort. "We've gotten closer these past two months and I know that…you care about me.

"Hmm...," His mouth formed a crooked grin that framed the stubble on his chin. "That's all I've ever wanted. For you to know how much I care for and love you," Edward replied, still stroking Bella's hair.

"Edward, I…"she gripped his shoulder, almost losing her nerve. "I…love you."

Edward froze, his hands dropping to his sides. He withdrew, the expression on his face streaked with intense longing but also traces of disbelief and agony.

"Bella...I couldn't take it if you were lying–"

Bella folded her arms around his neck and firmly pressed her lips to his. It took him a moment to thaw and wrap his arms around Bella's thin frame to deepen the kiss. Edward thought Bella tasted like heaven on earth. Bella thought that Edward tasted like a candy shop. They remained kissing for a few minutes, just enjoying each other. When they pulled away for air, they touched foreheads, both sets of eyes reflecting their love instead of just the one pair that always did.

Isabella Swan had fallen in love with Edward Cullen.

**A/N: So what did you think? Like I said, I didn't like it, but maybe you guys did; I don't know. Also, so I don't have other annoying writers' block please feel free to give me ideas on what should happen next. I've got an idea but it's always good to have extra ones. And please no flames; it's just a story, people.**

**Until next time,**

**xoxo .**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews from last chapter. They were really nice and really made my day! Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it .**

**Once again, many thanks to the marvelous BROOKIEO, for betaing this chapter. Her work is why you're enjoying a chapter this good. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything would I be here or buying a house in Beverly Hills? **

Chapter 10

Bella and Edward hung on to this initial kiss, mesmerized and unwilling to let it end.

Edward felt as though it'd just been confirmed he was King of the world—and yet even that couldn't compare to this sensation. He'd waited so long for Bella. Never before in his life had he happened upon anybody like her. But originally, she hated him; he believed he would never achieve this moment.

For it was this moment that he spent over a year hoping for—nay, it was a hope of a hope—_Bella, content in his arms, love burning in her eyes_; it was this moment that made his eyes well simply at the thought_. Bella_ was the only person that said those three words and meant every bit of it. _Bella_ was the only woman who ever looked at him this way: hers was a gaze drowned in love, devotion, and passion. Each time he blinked, he couldn't believe his eyes weren't lying; he couldn't comprehend that this moment was real. He wished to pinch himself, but he would have to release her to do so. He smiled gratefully.

She kissed him again, and he finally gave in; the tears flowed freely.

"Oh Edward," Bella commiserated before she dabbed at his tears with her lips, tightening her arms about his neck. He reciprocated, blushing at his awkwardness. He hoped he wasn't ruining the moment for her.

Soon, _thankfully_, all of his tears were gone. Denying the instinct rising in the fork of his legs, he inched away as much as he could bear, eschewing a breakage of certain social rites that must occur before they proceeded.

"Love, let's not be hasty. Don't do anything you'd regret." he whispered, berating himself for not taking his own advice. He knew he could have her in five seconds, but that would be _wrong, _and he would later feel as though he may as well have drugged and raped her. (_And_, he conjectured, _she already appeared drunken with love_.)

Bella nodded unsteadily, grinning at him as though in a dream state.

Bella knew the most logical thing to do was to ignore Edward's woos and run far, far away, as fast as possible. If she was smart, she'd have paid less attention to her heart and more to her brain. But she wasn't smart, and Cupid wore a blindfold.

She shouldn't be in love with her abductor; the man that broke her best friend's arm, held her captive, and vowed to never set her free. But in spite of all that, she just couldn't help herself. It was true that he committed those awful crimes but he was also the one that rescued her from sexual assault, cared for her, and brought her best friend to visit. He even made a headstone for her father, which was something that Bella would be eternally indebted to him.

_I guess I'm a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance_, Bella noted, admiring her man. _My man._ Bella liked the sound of that. She gripped tighter around his neck and held her grin.

Edward sat back down on the vintage, leather chair he was relaxing in when Bella first joined him, and pulled her to his lap. He cuddled her and made sure she was comfortable before speaking to her.

"So where do we go from here, beautiful?" he asked as he worshiped her silken hair. Simply stroking it was one of the greatest pleasures he'd ever experienced. He secretly hoped it wasn't the epitome of what they had in store for their relationship, however…

She thought a moment, and then smirked. "Well, I suppose we just act normal. I mean, normally, we act like a couple anyway; the only difference now is that there are...benefits," Edward leaned in and kissed her cheek, eliciting a giggle.

He hesitated, then finally admitted, "You can't imagine how much this means to me. I have waited so long for somebody as wonderful, as selfless, as… _perfect_ as you." He paused, not wishing to ruin the pleasance in the air. "…I-I wanted to apologize for how our relationship began. I was wrong to hurt you. And…," he grimaced; his voice had cracked, "if there is any way I can punish myself for what I put you through, just say the word. I would obey in a heartbeat." Bella winced. She appreciated his straightforwardness, but it wasn't necessary. She felt she had caused Alice's..._incident _anyway. She peered up at him, rubbing his hand reassuringly.

"Let's… not talk about that... That's in the past, anyhow." She took an unsteady breath, then continued, as though putting all the memories behind her. "You aren't that person anymore." She wished she could leave it at that, but there was more. She would be insane to completely dismiss all of his conditions. "But how will this work? I want to go to college and see my friends again—I-I want to find some way I can do that and still be with you," Bella said.

Edward stiffened. His arms pressed around her; the veins on his forehead showed above eyes which had clouded over and become dark with anger. He was mumbling something to himself, but Bella could only make out two words: "_leave_" and "_die._" Bella didn't want to let him get upset, so she leaned in and kissed his forehead. He softened at Bella's politely apologetic expression, relaxing almost immediately. His arms loosened and his hands began to massage her lower back. The anger had drained from his eyes and was replaced with his usual, gentle smolder.

"Bella, you have to understand… that will be hard for me. It seems everyone I loved has left, and were you to follow suit, I doubt I'd recover. Something happened…I can't tell you what...not yet...but… _I know_ I can be obsessive of you at times, and that is why." He folded his hands in her lap. "Please understand: change will be hard for me, but for you I'm willing to, for you." He squeezed her leg to emphasize every word. "Bella, I can take care of you. Leave this to me." His hands returned to her chocolate locks.

Bella sighed, then confessed, "You're too good for me."

"There is no such thing," Edward insisted, and they kissed again.

Bella did a 180° to straddle Edward's lap. Their hormones were going to be a problem, he decided. Their mutual attraction was apparent, but Edward didn't wanted their first time together to be special, not a rash decision.

"No," Edward answered Bella's unspoken question. He turned her back to face the fireplace once more. She blushed, but looked hurt. He frowned. "Love, I—" _Oh god, _he thought,_ don't be awkward, Edward. Don't be awkward about it. _"I _really _think we ought to wait." He left it at that.

Bella nodded; she was beginning to sober up. She took a breath, trying to calm her instincts. She removed herself from Edward's decidedly cozy lap. She smiled and explained that Alice would be waiting upstairs; she couldn't neglect her. Edward grudgingly approved, at which Bella laughed and awarded with a last kiss. She couldn't, however, wipe the massive grin off her face as she navigated through the halls, unable to extricate her thoughts from the Edward category. She felt strangely elated, as though the world was now a much happier place.

When Bella reached her bedroom, she saw Alice had already donned her pyjamas. But she was too busy flinging questions to allow Bella to do the same.

Her eyes were bright, aware of every—little—expression Bella made in response to each query. "What happened? Did you have _sex_?" Bella knew that, by now, interrupting didn't work. She waited patiently instead. "If you did, I hope you used protection! Does he _hurt _you? Should I get my shotgun?" She jounced the mattress after every other word.

"Alice! Breathe. Relax. We didn't have sex!" Alice nodded, perched on the edge of the bed, intent on sucking up every bit of information she could. "After I left you, I went to his study to tell him I loved him and—"

"EEEE! _You kissed!"_ Alice interjected, kicking her hyper feet.

"-_Yes_, we kissed, and, he is honestly _the. best. kisser. ever_. And he makes me feel safe. ….I-I'm just scared 'cause I really fell hard for him, Ali." Bella sighed and studied the intricate rug at the foot of the bed.

Alice pulled Bella to her in a hug reassuringly. I saw the glint in her eyes—the one she gets when she's 'got a feeling.' (And Alice's feelings usually come true.)

Bella then continued to tell Alice all about her conversation in the study. Alice advised Bella to convince him she's 'in it for the long haul.'

Afterwards, Bella pyjamafied herself and climbed into bed while Alice told her everything there is to know about Jasper. Bella tried, but could not listen well, for she was still wondering what could have happened to Edward to make him so…afraid.

Bella's mind skipped back to when she was about to enter that room adjacent to the library and Edward caught her. That room must be the answer to whatever was wrong with Edward.

_I'll have to get into that room_. _Once I know what happened, I'll be able to make sure he knows I won't leave_, Bella planned.

The two girls fell asleep soon after.

The remaining week passed in a blur. What with Bella's days being spent with Alice at whatever Edward had planned for them next- whether it be the mall, the beach, a restaurant- and her nights being spent with Edward, Bella was exhausted at the end of every day. She had no free time to even think of her plan, let alone execute it. She would have to continue it once Alice left.

Alice had work and college to consider. She couldn't get any more time off if she wished to stay employed. Thence, she and Bella spent their last day together watching movies and munching snacks together. Neither spoke of Alice's departure, wishing to assure themselves they'd be fine after another separation. They wouldn't be.

Their time together seemed inefficient after such a long duration apart. Bella wouldn't have anyone to confide in but Edward—which wasn't so bad, but he wouldn't understand some things. Alice felt devastated that when she left, there'd be a hole in her heart where Bella was. Of course both girls were being dramatic, but they figured sisters were meant to be when it came to being torn apart.

Once reality set in, they couldn't quit bawling and hugging. Alice had to pick her way through a briar patch of tears and embraces before she unwillingly reached the limousine.

Alice was gone. Bella felt shocked again—just as she had when Alice arrived. The thought that Alice wouldn't be beside her when she woke the next morning made her limbs Jell-O; she had to sit on the porch steps to maintain her balance. Both girls cried and watched each other fall further away until the car blended in with the horizon.

Edward carried Bella back into the house; she was unable to walk through her tears. He took her to the library and let her sit in his lap in the big chair. He caressed her hair, whispering endearments and loving phrases to soothe her misery. Once Bella calmed down—or at least dried up after a constant flow of tears- Edward leaned in to kiss her and reached for Bella's favourite book, Wuthering Heights.

"Will you be okay here by yourself? I must go and deal with …something. I shouldn't be gone more than an hour," Edward told Bella apologetically. She sighed sadly, but saw her opportunity.

"I'll be fine. Take your time," she smiled convincingly enough that Edward left the room, although grudgingly.

Bella waited to make sure Edward was far enough away until she couldn't hold herself in the chair anymore. She shot up agitatedly and began the brisk walk to Edward's library on the floor below. She whisked through the ornate double doors and the maze of stacks.

She found the adjacent room without much trouble.

It was closed off by a gaunt, mahogany door with floral embellishments adorning its edges. As she reached the door knob, Bella paused, and then persisted that this would truly be beneficial for both of them as a couple.

Bella turned the silver handle.

A/N: Did you like it? Well leave me a review regardless. As always, ideas are welcomed and encouraged. Especially this time, as I really have no idea what should come next . Until next time, xoxo

*P.S. The line in which Bella describes herself as a 'green girl' is actually from _Hamlet_, in case some may not have caught on. (:


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